Beauty Secrets We Learned from Maria Hatzistefanis

As far as we know, there's almost no such thing as effortless beauty. From facial treatments that leave your complexion dewy and luminous to the perfect winged eyeliner, experts reveal their most-trusted, insider hacks for CR's series,Beauty Secrets.

Over the past 20 years, skincare has evolved from basic face creams and cleansers to an endless arsenal of products that deliver targeted treatments. When Maria Hatzistefanis introduced her beauty brand, Rodial, in 1999, she saw the white space in the market for results-driven products that addressed specific skin concerns. The Greek native sought to stand out with skincare formulated to treat these various areas, from fine lines to hyperpigmentation, and made with unique, effective ingredients. Building her beauty empire from the ground up, literally beginning the business out of her London bedroom, the entrepreneur has made a mark with punchy product lines such as Snake Serum and Dragon's Blood. While it wasn't a straightforward journey, Hatzistefanis has taken a genuine approach to sharing her story, penning two books, How to Be an Overnight Successand the newly released How to Make It Happen, which outline the takeaways from her own set-backs and ultimate triumphs, in addition to a podcast. Beyond that, the beauty boss is known for her chic personal style, enviable shoe collection, and always on-the-job ambition.

Here, CR speaks with Hatzistefanis about what it takes to build a beauty business, where dragon's blood actually comes from, and why you shouldn't sleep on cleansing balm.

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As an entrepreneur in the beauty industry, why was it important for you to share your failures and successes?"I've been through a 20 year journey that had a lot of ups and downs, and I felt I had to share the journey with all the challenges that you go through when you start and grow a business. Seeing so many young women wanting to be independent and go freelance or own their own business, I felt that I needed to be very honest that you can't become an overnight success. It is a long journey. But if you're focused, if you have the mental strength, if you keep on going, you can be successful. The thing is, yeah, that's the title of my [first] book, but it's ironic. You can't be an overnight success. And I felt that I needed to communicate this message and be as transparent as I could."

Instagram/@mrsrodial

Do you think social media has contributed to the idea of an overnight success?"A lot of it has to do with social media. You see people who may have just appeared with millions of followers and who have successful deals and careers, and you're thinking What's wrong with me? I've been passionate, I've been working hard. Why am I not as successful? There's a lot of that with young women especially. They compare themselves to everything they see their peers do, and that's definitely generated the idea that overnight success exists. Because on social media, people are just promoting all the positives, all the best moments, but they're not really sharing the journey. You may have just discovered someone, but they may have been working on their craft for 10 years now and just aren’t sharing that. But it's great to be able to tell a different story and encourage them."

Instagram/@mrsrodial

Do you think growing up in the Mediterranean has influenced your approach to beauty?"Definitely. I grew up looking at beautiful women with great skin and that has definitely inspired me. We're about taking care of your skin first, and then using products for makeup that would let your natural beauty shine through."

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Is there a Rodial product you're most proud of?"I definitely would say the Snake Serum, purely from the point of view that this is the one product that put Rodial on the map. One of the ingredients is related to viper venom, so I thought, OK let's call the product snake serum. My team went crazy and thought it would take us out of business. It was one of the biggest risks that I have taken in my life and my business. But then I had to keep up with the unusual ingredients. And the next launch was the Dragon's Blood Sculpting Gel. Dragon's blood is a sap that comes from a tree in the Amazon, and when you combine it with hyaluronic acid it gives you an XXL plumping effect. These were the two products that really changed the direction of the business and two of my personal favorites as well."

Instagram/@mrsrodial

What is your skincare routine?"The key thing for me that I think a lot of people disregard is a cleanser. I've been using a balm cleanser for the last 15 years and it's made a whole difference in my skin. I used to have breakouts. I used to have dehydrated and dry skin. Then I went to a dermatologist and she told me to use a balm cleanser and it has transformed my skin 100 percent. I always cleanse my skin morning and evening with a balm cleanser–my current favorite is the Pink Diamond Balm Cleanser. And then the basics–I use SPF every single day. My mornings are pretty quick, so it's a cleanse and an SPF. I use the Dragon's Blood SPF 15 moisturizer. In the evenings, I have a little bit more time so I will use one of [Rodial’s] drops, whether it's the retinol drops or the collagen drops, and I usually love applying a mask while I'm watching TV. I'm currently obsessed with our Dragon's Blood Jelly Eye Patches."

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